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APA

ACU Library guide to referencing in APA7 style

Social media posts

Reference list

Author [@Username]. (Year, Month Day). Post title [Post type]. Site Name. https://xxxxxxxxxx

Facebook example: (Note: No handle needed after the author name)

New South Wales Department of Education. (2018, July 1). Did you know that all canteens in NSW public schools will be healthy canteens by December 2019? [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/NSWDepartmentofEducation/photos/a.143622402323515.22716.118142061538216/2108844565801279/?type=3&theater

Instagram example:

World Health Organisation [@who]. (2020, December 21). At WHO, we know #vaccineswork. Last year, millions of Somali children received vaccines to protect them against #polio, delivered by [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJBs0RXDfn5/?igshid=1ov8v5lamggth

TikTok example:

Australian Catholic University [@auscatholicuni]. (2024, May 24). Chip Chat - Episode 3 [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@auscatholicuni/video/7372410794828434696

X example:

Gates, B. [@BillGates]. (2018, June 13). World-class engineers and artists are working together to design bionic limbs for children with disabilities: https://b-gat.es/2l3xYV9 [Post]. X. https://x.com/BillGates/status/1006541128621961216?prefetchTimestamp=1719963098792

In-text citation

The New South Wales Department of Education (2018) reported …

(New South Wales Department of Education, 2018).

Notes

  • For Instagram and X posts, include the social media handle in square brackets after the author name.
  • If using the author's name, follow the usual APA format (Author, A. A.).
  • If there is no obvious title, use the first 20 words of the post or tweet as the title.
  • Make sure to use a description after the title in square brackets to indicate the type of post or page.
  • For the home/profile pages of accounts, include a retrieval date as the page is subject to change. e.g. Community of Multiculturalism. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.facebook.com/communityofmulticulturalism/
  • Copy and paste the complete URL to avoid transcription errors.
  • If the URL is very long, a functioning, shortened link can be used.
  • For multiple authors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.
  • Refer to the APA blog for more social media examples.

Blog post

Reference list

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Post title. Blog Title. https://xxxxxxxxxx

Example:

Sheninger, E. (2018, June 6). Reflective learning as the new normal. A Principal's Reflections. http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2018/06/reflective-learning-as-new-normal.html

In-text

(Sheninger, 2018).

Sheninger (2018) argues …

Notes

  • The full date is included in the reference list entry.
  • Copy and paste the complete URL to avoid transcription errors.
  • If the URL is very long, a functioning, shortened link can be used.
  • For multiple authors, consult the guidance provided by APA for reference lists and in-text citations.

Online forum post

Reference List

Author, A. A. [Username ]. (Year, Month Day). Title of post [Online forum post]. Site Name. https://xxxxxxxxxx

Example:

u/SoLongAndTired. (2017, October 27). Disability discrimination [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk/comments/79080r/disability_discrimination/

In-text

(u/SoLongAndTired, 2017) or u/SoLongAndTired (2017) notes that …

Notes

  • When the real name of the author is known, provide it first, followed by the username in brackets.
  • If the real name of the author is not known, provide only the username without brackets.
  • Use up to the first 20 words of the post as the title.
  • See the APA blog for more examples.